Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Allotriophagy refers to the consumption of food items considered abnormal for a given species. In this note, we report the recurrent consumption of bread and cookie crumbs by a free-ranging worm lizard (Amphisbaena sp.) in Brazil. While there are a few isolated reports of worm lizards consuming unusual food items, this is the first documented case of such behavior in a wild specimen occurring over several months, potentially involving the same individual. Allotriophagy in wild worm lizards may be triggered by nutritional deficiencies or opportunistic feeding. Documenting these cases is important for advancing our understanding of worm lizard behavior, particularly in urban environments.
Source: Acta Herpetologica
DOI: 10.36253/a_h-17538
Authors: Carolina Lucas Paiva, Carlos Henrique De-Oliveira-Nogueira, Luiz Rezende, Henrique C. Costa
Language: English
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W4415477052